Batman and Two-Face #24Review

The first four pages of Batman and Two-Face #24 are some of the most stunning the title has seen in recent issues. Writer Peter Tomasi and artist Patrick Gleason evoke the same sort of expressive silence that made Batman and Robin #18 such a impactful success. In the book's intro, we see a side of Two-Face we don't often get to witness; as a mosquito lands on his exposed eye, waking him from sleep, he is made vulnerable, both physically and emotionally, to the point where reading begins to feel like voyeurism.

The elegant simplicity of those first few pages sadly isn't mirrored in the rest of the issue. The focus shifts from Two-Face's early morning tribulations to the scheming of one Erin McKillen, the head of one of Gotham's most influential families with deep ties to organized crime. There is some chatty back and forth about her position in the organization, but what stands out the most is her involvement in Harvey Dent's backstory. Perhaps Villains Month has inspired origin story fatigue, but the one Two-Face is given here feels rather pedestrian when compared to other explorations of his history we've seen in the past. The refrigerator his late wife is placed in is more metaphorical than literal, but it's a tired storyline all the same.

Aside from a few key moments, Batman and Two-Face #24 is barely about Batman or Two-Face and Ms. McKillen isn't quite compelling enough to carry the book on her own. Together, Tomasi and Gleason are capable of great things, particularly when the narrative and aesthetic elements work in harmony, but sustaining that creative synergy for the course of an entire book proved to be a challenge in this issue.

Melissa Grey is a lover of all things cats, comics, and outer space. She can be found on MyIGN at MelissaGrey or lurking on Twitter @meligrey.

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Tomasi and Gleason further explore Harvey Dent's origin story in Batman and Two-Face #24.